


Staff of Silver, Rod of Onyx

by Moon_Blitz



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magical Boy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-23 16:23:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17686898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moon_Blitz/pseuds/Moon_Blitz
Summary: Seto has never believed in destiny, magic or monsters. But all three are real, and he finds himself unwillingly flung into a fight to protect Domino City from the evil that threatens to consume it. And then there is his growing attachment to his new classmate to puzzle over.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kazesuke](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kazesuke/gifts).



Seto stared at the creature that had suddenly appeared on his desk. Seemingly entirely made of white fluffy fur, it stared at him with big blue eyes. It looked like a toy Mokuba might have owned when he was young. And judging by how the fur moved every few seconds, it was alive, or at least technologically advanced enough to mimic breathing.

It was also disgustingly cute. Seto decided he hated it and proceeded to turn his attention back to his math homework.

“Kuri, kuri!”

He ignored it.

“Kuri, kuri, kuri!”

A pale green paw tipped with three claws appeared in his line of sight. Seto leaned back in his chair, bringing his math book with him. Despite being in a private high school, the math course was laughably simple. Seto was beginning to doubt Gozaburo’s decision to send him to the school, and he had barely been there a week.

“Kuriboh!”

The creature landed on his math book, big eyes narrowed in a glare. Seto glared right back, then snapped, “What?” Simple or not, he did have homework to finish.

The creature blinked, blue eyes going back to being big and round, before holding out a paw. He was able to scoff at it – why would he shake hands with a furball? - when a small rectangular object appeared between its claws. Seto raised an eyebrow. A business card? Was this some sort of weird marketing campaign for a new product? If so, it certainly was elaborate.

He quickly took the offered card and turned it towards him, wondering which company had gone to such ridiculous lengths. Except instead of a company logo and contact info, the card displayed a picture of a figure in a silver robe with blue highlights, holding aloft a silver staff. Seto opened his mouth to snarl at the creature, when a voice echoed through his mind.

_Greetings, Azure Duelist. Embrace your destiny and use your magic, inherited from the dragons themselves, to protect this realm from those who would destroy it._

Destiny? Magic? Nonsense. Regardless of what Gozaburo thought, he would choose his own path in life. As for magic, it didn’t exist, end of story. Anyone who claimed otherwise was a fool, and he was no fool.

“Nii-sama, dinner’s ready!” Mokuba’s voice from the hallway snapped him out of his daze. With a jolt, he realized that the furball was gone, although he still held the ridiculous card. Sneering at it, he tossed it on his desk, set his math book on top of it and went to dinner.

\- - -

Over the next few weeks, Seto did his best to forget about the white furball and everything that had happened once it showed up. He went to school, did his homework, helped Mokuba with his behind Gozaburo’s back – not that he noticed, being too busy fawning over how well Noah was doing at the elite private school he went to – and generally ignored his new classmates outside of required interactions.

Therefore, it was something of a surprise when a new student transferred in at the end of April. Seto studied the male teen as he introduced himself to the class – Atem Sennen, eldest son of an Egyptian government official – wondering why he hadn’t started earlier. Something to do with the Egyptian school system, perhaps? He’d have to look into it later.

Atem ended up sitting beside Seto, and he gave his new classmate a cool nod as the other sat down. Seto proceeded to ignore the lesson in favour of examining the transfer student. Atem’s tri-coloured hair was a bit much in his opinion, but Noah’s was naturally green so Seto supposed he couldn’t criticize it too harshly. However, it was Atem’s eyes that really caught his attention, being a shade of red that was rarely seen in Japanese people, and Seto caught himself thinking that they complemented Atem’s dark skin rather nicely.

With a huff and a mental shake of his head, Seto shifted his attention to their teacher in an effort to at least pretend he was paying attention. He didn’t need a lecture from Gozaburo on how he was failing to uphold the honour of the Kaiba family by slacking off in class. As if Seto ever slacked off.

\- - -

Atem proved to be annoyingly popular with the female students in their class. Seto had ignored the crowd that gathered around their desks at lunch the first week after Atem had transferred, burying himself in his book to escape the inane questions fired at the new student. But when the swarm of students didn’t disperse during the second week, he had had enough.

The roof was mercifully empty, and Seto settled down with his book, content to read for the rest of the lunch period when a sudden “Kuri!” broke the silence. Snapping the book shut, he glared at the white furball that had appeared next to him.

“Go away. I’m busy,” he said, making sure to keep his voice low just in case there was a student in the stairwell.

“Kuri, kuri! Kuriboh!” The furball shook it’s heady furiously, then waved a claw towards the edge of the roof. Following the gesture, Seto’s stomach twisted as he saw a dark sphere rise up from the centre of the roof, its surface swirling and bubbling as if it was alive. Just looking at it made him feel sick, yet he couldn’t tear his gaze away. The primal part of his brain was shrieking at him to _run, flee, get away_ _from the danger,_ but he wasn’t one to run away from anything without a good reason.

“Kuri!” A sudden tug on his uniform got Seto’s attention, and he look down to find the white furball gripping the hem of his jacket with one paw and holding out a small white device with the other. Another look told him that a card was slotted into the device, and he frowned as he recognized the decorative edging on the card.

“No,” he said flatly, recalling the words from the last time he had held the card. “I’m not fighting whatever that is.” The furball puffed itself up and glared, seemingly angry, then leaped at his wrist.

“Ge–” _Get off!_ was what he had been about to snap, but the furball cut him off by slapping the device on his left wrist. Bands shot out of either side of the device, securing it to his wrist. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as the card glowed and dissolved, and Seto looked up to find the dark sphere quickly expanding in size.

“Hmph,” he ground out, realizing he had no choice but to deal with ball before it got any bigger. “You owe me,” he added, rising to his feet as the furball backed off. Holding up his wrist, he took a deep breath as information flowed into his mind.

“Duel!” he called, just as the sphere exploded and darkness surrounded him. White light quickly enveloped him, shielding him from the dark, and Seto watched as his school uniform was replaced with a long silver robe with wide sleeves, patterned to look like it was covered in scales. He could feel his hair grow, and somehow he knew it was white. A weight upon his forehead testified that headband had appeared, and he looked down as a blue sash materialized around his waist, followed by a pair of silver boots with blue buckles.

All of this took but a moment, and then he was standing before a small green monster with big ears and even larger wings and claws. “Feral Imp?” he mumbled, the creature’s name coming to him at once. “Pathetic,” he decided, scowling as it screeched at him.

Seto raised his hand as the imp extended its wings, clearly preparing to attack. “Too slow,” he sneered, blue flames already swirling in his palm. “Dragon Flame!” A flick of his wrist sent a stream of fire at the monster, quickly engulfing it. It dissolved into shadows a few moments later, the darkness surrounding them also vanishing as Seto’s clothes returned to normal.

“That was it?” he asked as the furball hopped back to his side. “All of that for a weak monster?”

“Kuri, kuri!” The creature waved its paws at him, but he snorted and shoved the now-detached card case in his pocket.

“You’re not going to leave me alone, are you?” he asked, getting a clear ‘no’ in response. “Then this...nonsense will keep happening?” A nod, and another waving of claws. “Fine, I suppose I’ll fight them, if only to get them out of my way.” Seto didn’t want to do it. He had more important things to do than battle fantasy creatures in his spare time. But he wasn’t one to ignore a problem, and this was definitely going to be a problem.

As the bell chimed to signal the end of lunch, he picked up his book and turned towards the door leading inside. “By the way,” he asked as thought struck him. “Shouldn’t I have a staff?”

The furball, despite having no visible mouth, gave him a grin, went “Kuri~” and vanished, leaving him to return to class alone.


	2. Chapter 2

“Kaiba-san,” Atem said the third week after he transferred, “May I join you for lunch?”

Seto noted the edge of desperation in his classmate’s voice. “If you must,” he answered, not willing to outright accept or reject Atem’s company. He supposed Atem must be getting tired of the constant hounding from the female students.

“Thank you,” Atem murmured as their teacher walked in, calling for everyone to get to their seats.

Morning classes went as normal; Seto dutifully writing down notes despite memorizing everything the teachers said anyway. Atem seemed to be paying more attention, his eyes fixed on his notebook whenever the teacher was talking. A glance over showed Seto that his notes were mostly in Arabic, with smatterings of English and Japanese hiragana and katakana mixed in.

Atem did follow him up to the roof for lunch, Seto’s glare and frown being enough to dissuade anyone from following. The day was slightly overcast, but he didn’t mind, setting down in his now usual spot and opening his bento box.

His classmate stared curiously at the neat rows of onigiri and  thin pieces of cooked beef, then unpacked his own bento to reveal a collection of flat deep-fried patties as well as other foods Seto didn’t recognize. Probably dishes native to Egypt, he surmised, picking up an onigiri and biting into it. 

“Those are popular here. Many of the others eat them as well,” Atem commented awkwardly, gesturing at the rice balls in Seto’s lunch. He debated ignoring the remark,  but a small part of him did want to talk to the other student. The knowledge of Gozaburo’s disapproval at him being close to a classmate despite all his efforts decided the issue, and he nudged the box towards Atem.

“They’re called onigiri – rice balls,” he said, realizing that ‘onigiri’ didn’t really explain what the food was.

‘May I?” Atem asked hesitantly, and he nodded, watching out of the corner of his eye as his classmate picked one up and bit into it.  Atem’s eyes widened as he hit the tuna tucked inside, but he didn’t look disgusted as he chewed and swallowed it. “Interesting.  Thank you,” he said thoughtfully, falling silent as he finished the rest of the rice ball. 

“Falafel?” his classmate offered a few minutes later, holding out one of the deep-fried balls Seto had noticed earlier. “It’s made from ground chickpeas, mixed with herbs and onions,” he clarified quickly. Seto eyed the food for a moment, then took it without comment. 

The falafel was chewier than it looked, Seto thought as he took a bite. He could tell that the various herbs and onions were used to add flavour to the relatively bland chickpeas, but considering the same was done with onigiri, he had no room for complaint.  He wouldn’t admit that he’d enjoyed it, but it had been an interesting experience. “Not bad,” was all he said, given Atem a nod of thanks. 

Atem smiled back, clearly pleased, and Seto ignored the warmth that spread through him. Just the sun peeking through the clouds, he insisted to himself. Nothing more. 

\- - -

“Duel!” Seto growled, glaring at the monster that had disturbed his evening.  He had been relaxing after studying for midterms when the white furball appeared, clearly agitated. Seto was used to the furball  showing up whenever a monster attack was imminent, but this was the first one to attack after dark. Gozaburo was out attending some dinner party,  and Noah and Mokuba were both studying in their rooms, so it was easy enough to sneak out and follow the furball a few blocks away.

He had discovered a pulsing ring of energy on the ground  in a local park  instead of the usual dark sphere, which had put him on guard. The appearance of a snarling two-headed beast only made him scowl and pull out the card case. 

“Chimera, hmm?” he muttered as  the transformation completed , studying the foe. Both heads bore sharp-looking horns to go with their fangs, and all four paws were tipped with equally deadly claws. Muscles rippled under  thick  brown fur,  and white wings sprouted from its back. And yes, its tail ended in a hissing snake. “Charming,” he sneered. “Perhaps you’ll actually be worth my time!” He had defeated all of the other monsters with ease, more annoyed than scared by them. 

Both heads let out a roar before the monster sprang at him, but Seto stepped out of the way with a twirl of his robe. He leaned back to avoid the fangs from the snake tail as it snapped at him, summoning a fireball and flicking it at the chimera’s back. The smell of burnt fur filled the air – Seto hated how that had become a familiar scent to him – but the beast barely seemed to feel the attack. 

Spinning around with a speed that surprised him, it slashed at Seto, and only a burst of fire and a quick jump backwards saved him from injury. Wary now, he circled the chimera, trying to find a good angle to attack from. The monster decided for him, crouching low before springing into the air. Great, so the wings weren’t just for show. 

“Power of dragons? Then where are my wings?!” Seto grumbled as the chimera flew above him, thankfully not leaving the radius of the energy circle. Something shifted within him then, settling in his chest before flowing through him. Smirking, he bent his knees then leaped into the air as well, both feeling and seeing the translucent dragon wings that burst from his back. The monster let out another roar and dived at him, trying to ram him with its horns, but he dodged it as easily as if he had been flying all his life. 

The aerial battle continued in this vein for a few minutes – Seto firing off fireballs that had little effect, and the chimera failing to land a hit on him. Eventually though, the stalemate had to end. Unfortunately, it was Seto who slipped up first. 

He was half a second to slow to dodge an aerial charge, and one of the beast’s bulky horns slammed into his side, knocking the breath from him and sending him spiralling towards the ground.  Seto twisted around, trying to right himself, but the chimera was faster, diving into his back and driving them both down. He hit the ground face-first, wings vanishing and fire sputtering at his fingertips as claws dug into his shoulders. Panic clawed at his brain as he struggled to dislodge the monster, a sharp pain in his ankle and spreading numbness indicating that the snake’s fangs had found their mark. 

The claws dug in deeper as the monster shifted, cutting through his robe and into his skin. He was bleeding heavily, he was sure of it. He felt hot breath on his neck and froze, knowing that he was seconds from death. His brother’s face, stretched in a bright smile, appeared as he closed his eyes. _Mokuba_. He was going to leave Mokuba to the mercies of Gozaburo. Noah might look after him, but Seto doubted it. An image of Atem flicked through his mind next, and he felt stinging regret that they hadn’t become better friends. 

He could practically  _ feel _ the chimera’s jaws opening to clamp down on his skull, to crush his brain and snuff the life from his body. Seto gritted his teeth, refusing to show weakness even during his last moments. 

_ “Black Magic Attack!”  _ rang out, followed by the crackle of a powerful energy attack, and then the crushing weight was gone from his back. Seto gasped and  managed  rolled onto his uninjured side as a figure leaped over him, putting themselves between Seto and the stunned chimera. 

“Hold on, I’ll finish it off,” the person said,  voice distorted by the snake’s bite,  raising the  rod they held as the beast struggled to its feet with an enraged roar. Still wheezing for breath, Seto could only  jerkily  nod, watching  hazily  as magic surged around the rod’s tip before blasting the monster into dust. Another monster materialized with a hiss of dark energy, but Seto was too stunned by the appearance of the other Duelist to care. 

The Violet Duelist. Instinctively, he knew that’s who they were, and that they were meant to fight alongside his Azure Duelist.  Well, he thought as he watched the black-robed Duelist take down the monster, at least they were both stuck with names that didn’t fit. 

The other Duelist approached and knelt next to him, passing a faintly glowing hand down the length of Seto’s body. “Paralyzing snake venom, cracked ribs and deep gouges on the back,” they mumbled, and Seto’s lips twitched as he tried – and failed – to frown. Seeing the movement, the other Duelist added, “I’ll start with the snake venom.”

“Hmph,” Seto managed to grunt. He was irritated that he had been saved, even if it was by a supposed comrade. But his fire had done little to damage the chimera, and he had been powerless after the beast pinned him down. 

Soon enough, he was healed, although he could tell he would be sore for a few days yet. Pushing down his pride, Seto nodded and said, “Thanks.” 

The Violet Duelist looked surprised, but smiled and nodded back. “You’re very welcome.” Now that he could see clearly, Seto took in his new comrade – a black robe with tight sleeves, a matching hood that somehow managed to curve to a point, black boots similar to his own, and a matching sash around their waist. Probably purple, given their name. And...Seto squinted  at the long  dark  hair that peeked out from beneath the hood. Male, perhaps?  It was hard to tell, but he supposed his own long white hair could pose a similar problem. 

“We should go,” Seto said stiffly. He needed to be back before Gozaburo returned home. Rising stiffly to his feet, he ignored the offer of help and dusted off his robe. 

“Yes, I suppose we should,” the other Duelist said hesitantly, then asked, “What shall I call you?”

Seto snorted, already turning away. “Whatever you want. See you next time.” Because there was definitely going to be more battles, that he was sure of. 


	3. Chapter 3

Thankfully, things were quiet over the next few days. Seto used the time to rest and heal, as well as study for the rapidly approaching midterms. Atem seemed more preoccupied as well, often bringing study materials with him at lunch.

“You speak Japanese well,” Seto commented one day. “But I noticed your writing skills aren’t as good.”

Atem blinked at his words, then straightened. “I pick up spoken languages easily – I always have. I thought Japanese writing would be simple to grasp as well, but it’s so different from Arabic that I’m having trouble remembering it all.”

“Is that why you use English as well?”

If Atem was upset that Seto had been looking at his notes, he didn’t show it, merely chuckling and nodding. “Partly, yes. I also find it useful to keep practicing it.”

Seto nodded slowly, seeing the benefits of that. Finishing his rice ball and leaving the last one to Atem, he leaned back and thought the matter over. Recalling the distant voice of his mother from his early school days, he said, “It helps if you make it interesting somehow. What are your hobbies?”

He couldn’t believe he was even asking the question, knowing that only a month ago, he would have scoffed at the idea of wanting to know such a thing about a classmate, but that was then and this was now.

“I like games and puzzles. Rather, I’m very good at both,” he corrected quickly, and Seto could have sworn Atem was blushing.

“There are plenty of games that teach kanji and improve hiragana and katakana,” Seto said blandly, pushing down the twisting feeling in his stomach. “You have a phone, right?” Obvious question, but he had never seen Atem use one.

“I do.” He obligingly pulled it out and unlocked it before offering it to Seto. Seto pulled up the phone’s apps store, aware that Atem was watching him intently, and quickly downloaded a few games that involved leaning simple kanji.

“Try those,” he said, handing the phone back. Atem murmured his thanks and reached for the last rice ball, leaving Seto to ponder the merits of developing his own learning game. He certainly had the computer skills, and since it would be for private use it didn’t have to be anything too fancy...

\- - -

"Partner!” Violet Duelist called as Seto arrived at the site of the next monster attack, already transformed and ready to battle. He snorted at the name, sending a spiral of blue fire at the spindly dragon across from him. He got a jet of black fire in response, signalling that it was going to be one of _those_ battles.

\- - -

Midterms came and went, but no more monsters appeared. Seto had suffered a burn to his shoulder during the fight with the dragon that Violet Duelist’s magic couldn’t fully heal, leaving him sore and irritable for the duration of the exams. Atem seemed to pick up on his discomfort, because he brought an extra serving of Egyptian-style turnovers stuffed with ground beef and held them out with a look in his eyes that told Seto he wouldn’t let him refuse them.

They were very good, and Seto muttered a ‘thanks’ before he left school that day.

\- - -

A string of attacks by various dinosaurs followed, each annoying Seto more than the last when his fire proved ineffective against them. Violet Duelist was able to deal with them, but even Seto could see he was starting to tire as the creatures kept coming night after night.

After a battle, he was glaring at the spot where the most recent dinosaur had been when Violet Duelist walked up to him. “Don’t worry about it, Partner. I can take care of them,” he said with a tired smile.

Seto’s fraying patience finally snapped. “ _Obviously_ you can deal with them,” he sneered. “You always do, with your black magical rod of yours!” That was probably a terrible way to phrase it, but Seto was too angry to dwell on any accidental innuendo. “You’re all _Partner_ this and _Partner_ that, but you’re doing all the work!” He paused for a breath, half-aware of the shock on the other’s face.

“You resent me, doing you?” Seto accused, eyes narrowing. “Surely you must, given recent events. I’m just getting in your way, aren’t I?” He was always the extra, always the one standing apart. Had been since Gozaburo adopted him and Mokuba – he was nothing more than a measuring stick by which to measure Noah’s progress by, a way to show off Gozaburo’s kindness without receiving an ounce of that kindness himself. Now he was doing the same thing here, except that his so-called partner had always been ahead of him in terms of power. At least with Noah, there was an illusion that Seto could surpass him.

Blue flames licked at his fingers as he clenched his fist, staring at the other Duelist. _“I never wanted this,”_ he hissed. “This ridiculous _nonsense_ about destiny and inherited power.” What good was his power if it couldn’t defeat his foes? “I choose my own destiny, my own path! Since you seem so capable, why don’t you just handle this by yourself?”

“Partner, wait-”

Seto turned and walked away, leaving his comrade to reach fruitlessly after him. No, he wouldn’t wait. He was tired of waiting for things that would never come.

\- - -

To distract himself, Seto devoted his evenings to creating and testing a game that taught kanji. He had noticed that Atem’s writing was already improving, and so made sure to program the game to become increasingly difficult once the relevant stages had been mastered. Not simply cleared, _mastered_ , since he had a feeling Atem was as much of a perfectionist as he was.

Atem seemed more reserved than usual, and Seto wondered if he was homesick. He hadn’t found any information on him travelling outside of Egypt before coming to Japan, and the two countries were certainly different enough that Atem would miss his homeland. Even so, they ate lunch together every day as the weather warmed and hinted at the start of summer.

June started hot and only got hotter, and it was a relief when they students could change into their summer uniforms. Seto’s bentos changed with the weather, the kitchen staff packing them with food that wouldn’t make him feel sluggish during the afternoon classes.

Atem’s mood improved with the hot weather, and he proved to be very interested in the various festivals and events that took place in Domino City over the summer months. Seto explained as best he could, having gone to only a few select ones in the years since Gozaburo had taken him in.

“Perhaps we should attend one over the summer?” Atem suggested one hot lunch hour, red eyes alight with excitement. “It would be nice to go with a friend.”

Seto opened his mouth to question the word _friend_ , then realized he thought of Atem as a friend. Swallowing his doubts, he nodded. “Yes, that would be nice,” he agreed quietly. Spending time with Atem was nice, he realized, and he suddenly wished they could do so outside of school.

\- - -

The white furball hadn’t shown up in the month since Seto left the other Duelist to handle the monster attacks, and while a part of him wondered what was going on, Seto didn’t miss the little creature’s disruptive appearances.

“Kuriboh! Kuri, kuriboh!” Seto looked away from his computer, mouth opening to refuse whatever it was the furball wanted. Then he saw the matted and dirty fur, the scraped paws, the desperate look in those big blue eyes and shut his mouth with a click. Something was terribly, horribly, wrong.

“Where?” he asked, retrieving the card case from his desk drawer. The furball didn’t answer, merely latching on to Seto’s shoulder and glowing. Seto’s bedroom vanished, a void of flickering colours replacing it, then it solidified into the soccer fields bordering Seto’s school. His gaze was immediately drawn to the hulking dinosaur standing in the middle of the field, then dropped to the dark form crumpled some distance away.

“DUEL!” he roared, anger flooding through him as he realized how hurt Violet Duelist had to be if he wasn’t even attempting to fight. His robe had barely settled around him before he was moving, blue fire wreathing both hands as he poured all his power into attacking.

The dinosaur – Giant Rex, his mind whispered – roared in answer and cut through Seto’s flames with a swung of its long striped tail. It drew in a breath, then shot out a ball of energy, forcing Seto to dodge and leaving a crater where he once stood. A sweep of the soccer field revealed that it was dotted with similar craters, and Seto’s stomach twisted unpleasantly as he realized what the other Duelist had gone through.

Giant Rex tracked him as he sped across the field, the two exchanging attacks as he went. He needed a plan, and he needed one fast. The hum of magic caught his attention, and he watched with mounting horror as Violet Duelist blasted the dinosaur with magic from where he lay.

The monster swung his head back towards him, and Seto summoned his wings and pumped them, desperately trying to put himself between his comrade and Giant Rex. But he was too slow, and could only look on as the dinosaur loosed an energy blast at the other Duelist.

As the explosion faded, Seto felt his heart stop at the sight of a smoking crater. Violet Duelist wasn’t – couldn’t – be dead. Seto wouldn’t allow him to die without at least catching up to him. A sharp “Kuri!” drew his gaze to farther down the field, and he nearly gasped in relief. His partner was laying near the edge of the energy circle, and Seto pushed his wings as fast as they could go to get over to him.

“You–” He began, then stopped. Violet Duelist was breathing heavily, clothes burnt and torn, and looking nearly dead. A purple furball with paws and eyes similar to Seto’s own furball was hovering next to him, making soft sounds of distress.

“Partner...” The voice was so weak Seto almost didn’t catch it, but he knelt anyway, heedless of the hulking monster at the other end of the field. It could wait.

“Shut up,” Seto growled. "You’re injured, you idiot.”

His partner made a sound of agreement and made an effort to smile. “I’ll...I’ll be fine,” he rasped. “I know...you can do it. A dragon is stronger than a dinosaur.”

“Shut up,” Seto repeated helplessly. Seeing the Duelist’s eyes slid shut, he added, “And don’t you _dare_ die on me!”

“I won’t, partner...” He drew a shuddering breath, and Seto was afraid he would dissolve like all the monsters they had defeated. But the Violet Duelist simply glowed faintly and shifted appearance, robe turning into a T-shirt and a pair of shorts and boots into sandals.

The transformation broke, Seto realized distantly, too shocked by the familiar tri-coloured hair and dark skin to do more than gape. Atem’s transformation had broken.

“You–You– _You’re_ –” Seto sputtered in disbelief. Things fell into place in his mind, and he realized why Atem had been so withdrawn lately. He had been fighting the monsters by himself, risking his life probably every night. And all because Seto had abandoned him in a fit of rage.

Guilt and shame flooded through him, and he whirled back around to face the Giant Rex. Atem would not die here due to Seto’s mistake. He was the Azure Duelist, and he would protect his partner. He would protect his _friend_.

Heat spread through him, starting in his chest and racing outwards, coalescing in his right hand. Flame burst forth then, forming into a long staff which he held tightly as the fire faded to reveal silver metal, cold against his palm despite the fury that had birthed it.

Seto levelled the staff at Giant Rex and bared his teeth in challenge. White energy began to swirl at the tip of the staff, and Seto let his power flow into the gathering storm. He would give it his all to protect Atem, the one person he held closest to in the world apart from his brother.

As the ball of white energy expanded to its peak, Seto took a breath and shouted, _“Burst Stream of Destruction!”_ The resulting burst of light and explosion left no doubts as to the fate of the Giant Rex, and Seto dropped to his knees in relief. Atem was safe.

\- - -

New magic came with his staff, allowing him to heal the worst of Atem’s wounds before their respective furballs took them home. Exhausted, Seto dragged himself to school the following day, not surprised to see that his partner was absent. He made sure to pay attention to the lectures, copying his notes neatly in a mix of hiragana and simple kanji over lunch and in the library after school.

Seto headed to Atem’s home after getting the address from the school’s office. He could have hacked the system, but asking was faster for once. He examined the house as his family’s car pulled up before it, noting that it was in a prosperous part of the city, well away from the crime and dirt that lurked elsewhere.

A maid met him at the door, leading him to a room where Atem was stretched out on a couch. “Kaiba-san!” his partner said in surprise, putting down the book he had been reading.

“Seto is fine,” he replied, sitting down next to him and removing his notes from his bag. "I brought you the notes you missed,” he said, feeling awkward. “And we have an assignment due next week.”

“Thank you, Seto-san,” Atem said gratefully, and Seto rolled his eyes at his politeness. The maid returned with tea and snacks, and he waited until they were alone before reaching for his bag again.

“I’m the Azure Duelist,” he stated plainly, holding up the card case and transformation card.

Instead of looking shocked, Atem looked relieved, “I – I thought you might be,” he admitted softly. “You hid them well, but your injuries matched up perfectly to those of my partner, and you always seemed a little tired the day after a battle.” Atem gave a half-grimace, half-smile. “I thought about saying something, but after the fight, I figured it was best to leave you be.”

“That...was probably a good idea,” Seto murmured. The revelation that Atem was the Violet Duelist would have only made him angrier and driven an even wider rift between them.

“I understand, you know,” Atem said, frowning down at his hands. “I didn’t ask for this power either. And I’m not fond of having my destiny be dictated by someone or something I’ve never met. But,” he paused, meeting Seto’s gaze. “This path, as you call it, led me to you. I can’t be upset about that.”

Seto took a moment to process Atem’s words. “Likewise,” he said at last, realizing he had nothing else to add. “You are my partner, after all.”

“Partner,” Atem echoed with a smile, reaching for Seto’s hand and squeezing it. Warmth blossomed in his chest and he smiled, knowing Mokuba would love to meet his new friend and partner.


End file.
